Mickey

And if you are referencing the area outside of NYC, "Upstate" is a lot easier than saying the "capitol region, the adirondacks, the southern tier, central new york, mohawk valley, western new york, the route 81 corridor and watertown"

Over the shock. I've made my peace with this. Just need to fix that offensive line or the Ferrari we just bought won't ever make it out of the garage. Do that and this is deal can work. One thing is clear, the Bills trust has a jumbo, gigantor sized pair of....

Why is the atmosphere so different? Still a lousy offensive line and still a passing game so bad that teams will continue to play 8 in the box. Does McCoy block? Can he play QB? In a league where RB's have never been more devalued, our big trade is to grab a 4.2 yards per carry RB? What are the odds McCoy is ecstatic and will play inspired football? Nothing makes a diva running back happier than getting shipped off to a team without a QB or an offensive line worth spit.

wtf??? what the ffffff.....are they thinking??

No way Whaley bails on his signature pick. The only chance Whaley has of cleaning that stain off of his record is to give EJ one more real shot at being the QB they all hoped they had drafted two years ago. Unless something epically amazing is in the works, I can't imagine EJ not getting a shot at the starting job.

The question is what happened to him? He had a near pro bowl year in 2012 (was invited as the third sting QB). He won his first two games in 2013 and threw in the neighborhood of 300 yards for 3 of his first 4 games (346, 298, 194, 355). The two losses were to Baltimore and Seattle, two very good defensive teams. The loss to Seattle was a 3 point loss in OT. He was terrible the next two games including a road loss to San Francisco and that was it, he was benched in favor of Case Keenum who lost the next 8 or 9 games before he got hurt. Schaub lost the starting job in Oakland to Carr. The Raiders decided in camp that Carr was playing well enough for consideration as a long time starter so they decided starting him was worth the time investment needed for his development. I don't think anyone really knows what happened to Schaub and whether or not it was a temporary thing like an injury. If there was any chance he could return, if only for a year or two, back to the level he performed at in 2013, he would be miles and miles better than any other QB out there. McCown is a "never-was" and "never-will-be." Schaub at least once was a good player, something he proved over many seasons.

So many things fell in to place for that team. Take James Lofton. The guy is the 6th pick in the draft and has one pro bowl season after another on a franchise that, at that time, seemed hopeless. The Packers had to deal with a scandal involving sexual assault charges against Mossy Cade, a defensive back. And then Lofton was charged with sexual assault leading the team to suspend him with a game left in the 1986 season. The Packer's were getting killed in the press and corporations were starting to pull out of sponsorship deals with the team so they cut both Lofton and Cade. Lofton was eventually exonerated but that came too late to save his career in Green Bay. He signed on with the Raiders who had more WR's than they knew what to do with including Willie Gault, Mervyn Fernandez and a young Tim Brown. Lofton, over 30 at the time, was the odd man out and was cut after two seasons. Meanwhile, Nick Nicolau, the WR coach for the Raiders had been fired by them and hired on at Buffalo. Then, Chris Burkett, a WR for the Bills in his 5th year with the team, skips out on a team meeting and quits his job. Lofton, 33 and unemployed at the time, hears about Burkett and calls Nicolau and before you know it, the Bills have a veteran receiver with some gas left in the tank who is 6'4", still runs in the low 4.4's, hasn't dropped a pass in a decade and is a 7 time pro bowler. And as if all that wasn't improbably lucky enough, Lofton had a tryout with Eagles before we had a roster spot open up due to Burkett's tantrum. Lofton was all but signed when Buddy Ryan, the HC of the Eagles at the time, balked at the last minute and passed on Lofton. In just four years with the Bills and only three as a starter, Lofton produced 21 TD's, 2,736 yards and averaged over 18 yards per catch. And he cost us nothing. Not a single draft pick. We get Thurman Thomas in the second round only because of doubts about an injury he had in his senior year. We trade OJ in '78 for a raft of picks including a first rounder in '79 which we use on linebacker Tom Cousineau who refuses to play for us and signs a huge deal with a CFL team. He wants to get back to the NFL in '82 so we trade his rights to the Browns for their first round pick in 1983 which ends up being 14th overall. We used that pick to select none other than Jim Kelly who is only there at 14 because the Chiefs, picking at 7, passed in Kelly and Marino in favor of Todd Blackledge, a QB from Penn State who was out of the league in 6 years. Some of that team was built by savvy personnel decisions but some of it was built on good fortune and the top draft picks that are the only reward for the misery of being one of the worst teams in the league for years.

Gee, I don't know. Thread entitled "All things Incognito...." discussions therein about whether it was a good idea or a bad idea to a sign him. Some defending him, some excusing him, some not. And here I go, posting facts about one if his most notorious incidents, one which resulted in a conviction for misdemeanor assault. What was I thinking?

My bad, it was $10,000, they claimed it was joke "fine" but Martin paid it and Incognito didn't refuse to accept the check. Can "context" excuse his rubbing his golf club on the vagina of a female volunteer at a celebrity golf tournament, knocking her sun glasses off with it and rubbing his junk on her backsides while yelling "let it rain, let it rain!" and emptying a bottle of water in her face? Or explain his dismissal from Nebraska? His misdemeanor assault conviction? His dismissal from Oregon? His being dropped by the Rams? Or the Dolphins dropping him as soon as they were played the voicemail of his threatening Martin and his family? This guy has a longer rap sheet than Lynch ever had and we couldn't wait to run him out of town. This isn't about having a bully on the team who will give us a much needed edge in attitude. Nor is it about redemption. The guy is just not worth it and every team he has ever been on has ultimately reached that conclusion, without exception, four times.

Details on Incognito's arrest on 3 charges of assault when he was in college: Lincoln Police Capt. David Beggs said Incognito was issued three misdemeanor assault citations, while Miller was issued one. Callahan wasn't available for comment, NU sports information director Chris Anderson said. Beggs, citing police reports, gave the following account of the alleged assaults: At about 1:25 a.m., Bradley J. Lingenfelter, 21, of Lincoln opened a bathroom door on Incognito and an unidentified woman at the party at the Claremont Parks Apartments complex. Incognito pushed Lingenfelter down and Miller jumped on Lingenfelter and scratched his neck. Incognito then struck Lingenfelter in the face and slammed him into the wall. Clayton Barnes, 21, of Denton, who was waiting in line for the bathroom, intervened and Incognito punched him in the face, knocking him unconscious. As Incognito was leaving the apartment, he struck Elbert Northington, 29, of Lenexa, Kan., in the face and took his cell phone and threw it to the ground. Police were called to the apartment, where they found several cartons of alcohol and a beer keg in the bathtub. Beggs said Incognito denied assaulting Lingenfelter and Northington when police interviewed him. Reports showed no record of a statement from Incognito regarding Barnes. Both Incognito and Miller were ticketed, Beggs said, but neither was taken to jail. Beggs said he did not know if the assault victims were taken to the hospital. John T. Fisher, and Christopher A. Myers, both 20, were cited for maintaining a disorderly household, as was Ryan J. Sukraw, 19, who also lived at the apartment where the party was held, Beggs said. Incognito, who took anger management classes last offseason, has a history of anger-related outbursts during practices. He's also been accused of spitting on opposing players during games, most notably this past season at Kansas and against Michigan State in the Alamo Bowl.

Incognito's Rap Sheet: 2002: · Spit on a player in a game against Troy State · Ejected after picking a fight late in blow out loss to Penn State · Suspended for one game (against Iowa State) · Flagged for a personal foul late in the game, was critical factor in loss 2003: · Suspended from team due to a fight during spring practice. · Coaches require him to get anger management treatment at a clinic in Topeka, Kansas 2004: · Charged with 3 counts of assault stemming from a fight at a party in February of 2004. · Convicted of 1 count of misdemeanor assault in June of 2004. · Suspended indefinitely from team on Sept. 1, 2004 due to repeated violations of team rules, proverbial last straw is a locker room fight. · Incognito leaves Nebraska and transfers to University of Oregon · Oregon requires him to complete an anger management course and to adhere to a strict code of conduct. One week after arriving on campus he is dismissed from the team for failing to meet the conditions agreed upon before his arrival. No details as to what conditions he didn't meet are available. 2005: · Sprains knee at combine during a drill. Drafted by the Rams in the third round. Is placed on the non-football related injury list for the entire 2005 season. 2006: · Started all 16 games at three different positions for the Rams. · Finished the year with 5 holding calls, 3 false starts and 4 personal fouls/unnecessary roughness penalties. 2007: · Inactive first four games. · Started at RG for four games before injuring knee, out for the season · Reports made of him partying instead of rehabbing. · 3 holding calls and 2 personal fouls/UR's in four games. 2008: · Starts at RG for 15 games, some limited snaps at center. · Is fined for three incidents during Redskins game including verbally abusing an official, a major face mask penalty and a chop block. His 15 yard penalty with 35 seconds left in the game and the Rams at the Redskin 17 yard line down by one nearly cost the Rams the game. Their kicker made a 49 yarder to win the game, saving Incognito. · 6 false starts, 4 holding calls and 2 persona fouls/UR's 2009: · Rams sign him to a one year tender for 1.01 M. · Is benched in the season opener after two personal fouls. · Benched again in game against Titans for two head butt penalties, is seen arguing with coach on the sidelines. · Incognito is released by the Rams immediately after the Titans game. · Played only 7 games with the Rams in 2009 before being dumped. · Warned by league that future infractions of the type he committed will lead to additional discipline including suspension. · From 2006-2009, Incognito is flagged for 38 penalties including 7 unnecessary roughness calls, more than any other player in the league over that time span. · Picked up on waivers by the Bills, starts at G for three games. Buffalo declines to sign him in the offseason. 2010: · Signs one year deal with Dolphins, starts all 16 games. · Only 4 penalties all year, no personal fouls. 2011: · Miami signs him to a 3 year deal. Starts all games. · 5 holding calls, 3 personal fouls. · Allows only 1.5 sacks all year. 2012: · In May of 2012 he sexually gropes a female volunteer at a charity golf tournament. Police report states: ....she was a volunteer for the Miami Dolphins Organization as a hole monitor for the annual "Fins Weekend Golf Tournament"....while performing her duties she was approached by...Richie Incognito...Mr. Incognito had been drinking and acted very inappropriately to her....Incognito used his golf club to touch her by rubbing it up against her vagina, then up her stomach then up to her chest. He then used the club to knock a pair of sun glasses off of her head. After that he proceeded to lean up against her buttocks with his private parts as if dancing, saying "let it rain, let it rain!" He finally finished his inappropriate behavior by emptying bottled water in her face." Incognito later reached a settlement with the woman which included a confidentially agreement so the amount of the settlement is unknown. · Starts all 16 games and makes his first pro bowl. · 4 holding calls and 2 personal fouls/UR's 2013: · Martin incident. Dolphins release Incognito who is suspended by the league for the remainder of the season. Suspension is not because of text messages, the bulk of which are believed to have been leaked by Incognito as they lacked proof of harassment. Instead suspension is for a variety of other actions such as extorting 15k from Martin to pay for a Vegas junket by vets and making threatening voice mails

He wasn't released by the fins and suspended by the league for his texts. Other conduct, such as pressing Martin to pay $15,000 towards a junket for the vets on the line and especially a voice mail left for Martin two days after Martin had left the team is was did it. These texts are believed to have been leaked by Incognito himself because they don't show any harassment or bullying. The league eventually found that Incognito harassed not just Martin but three other members of the Dolphin organization. Of course, the fins and the league looked the other way when he sexually assaulted a female volunteer at a celebrity golf tournament in 2012. Signing him says all you need to know about just how desperate our situation is at guard. Cognito has a very long history of one problem after another both on and off the field. I wish him the best and hope he is finally ready to be a professional but given his history, that's not likely to happen. It is far more likely that he will slowly wear out his welcome with penalties, locker room fights and a plague of off the field drunken escapades.

"A typical CFL contract includes an NFL option window that usually begins Jan. 1 and always ends Feb. 16. Players with such options in their contracts can sign with NFL teams during that window. If later released from the NFL, the player's rights revert to his previous CFL team." ------http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcwest/post/_/id/14351/why-cfl-players-head-to-nfl-now But see: "Feb. 10 Beginning at Noon ET, NFL clubs may begin to sign players whose 2014 CFL contracts have expired. Players under contract to a CFL club for the 2015 season or who have an option for the 2015 season are not eligible to be signed." ----------http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/schedules/keydates

Dumb rich athlete. Most rich athletes spend a few bucks on a girl just to get laid.

Bo Levi Mitchell, Calgary Stampeders, 2014 Grey Cup MVP 370 completions out of 573 attempts for a career completion percentage of 64.6%, has thrown for 4,713 yards in 17 career starts. 34 TD's against 13 ints and a career QB rating of 100.5. Variously listed as 6-0 up to 6-2. Undrafted in 2012 due to size and limited arm strength. Excellent accuracy in short to intermediate range allowing his WR's to catch and run, quick release, good feet to buy time in the pocket and is a fast decision maker. Played in a spread at SMU and EWU so his ability to play in a conventional NFL offense is an open question. Led Katy High School in Texas to a state championship throwing 37 TD's against only 4 picks. Mitchell started as a freshman at SMU. In his career, he completed 385-of-676 passes (57.0 percent) for 4,590 yards (241.6 per game) with 36 touchdowns and 33 interceptions. His efficiency rating was 121.8. As a sophomore in 2009, he started SMU’s first seven games before suffering an injury and being replaced by freshman Kyle Padron. In this injury shortened season, Mitchell completed 56 percent of his passes for 1,725 yards, 12 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, for a passing efficiency rating of 117.9. Transferred to Eastern Washington University where he had a great career as the starter for 2 years. He helped lead EWU to the NCAA Division I FCS National Championship with a 20-19 come-from-behind victory over the University of Deleware, the school's first national championship in football. He was named the game's Most Outstanding Player after throwing three touchdown passes in the final 16 minutes of the game and had 302 total passing yards. In 2011, He led the FCS in four statistical categories, including passing yards (4,009) and touchdown passes (33) on his way to breaking four school records. He broke EWU's record for single season passing yards with 4,009, which ranks 17th in FCS history and fifth in Big Sky Conference history. Mitchell went on to win the Walter Payton Award as the best offensive player in the FCS and was also named the 2011 Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Mitchell was also named to seven All-America teams this season, earning first team honors on six of them.

Matt Schaub? Kurt Warner?

I suggest you read the portion of the article where the former assistant said "He didn’t feel any support behind him, I guess, is the way I understand it." Add that to the $4Million worth of financial security he would lose if he stayed and the lack of an extension giving him any job security beyond 2015. Shameless? None of us know his financial situation or the financial needs of his family. That is his call. None of us know if he made a mistake financially or not and none of us know what would have happened if he stayed. If he is ultimately wrong on this, then that is a mistake in judgment and he will have to bear the consequences of it. There is a big difference between making an error in predicting future events and being "shamelessly opportunistic." I don't know if you are one of the people who were beating the drum for him to be fired before he opted his butt out of town so I am not directing this next comment at you. I'll never understand why the people who most wanted him fired are the ones most determined to turn a mere career decision into a betrayal of everything that's decent in the world. Isn't it enough that he left a year earlier than expected and saved us all the time and trouble of a 2015 "Fire the Bum" campaign? It's like losing your sh** because the girl you were going to break up with on Friday dumped you on Thursday.

Mind boggling. To risk a throw in that situation with Marshawn Lynch in the backfield and one of the best running QB's ever over center?!? Cute, waaaaaaaay too cute. I'll say one thing for that ending, any fan of either team who didn't go into V-fib when that circus tipped-ball was caught had to have needed the paddles when that pick happened. Cardiac ICU's had to have been overrun with calls last night.

This isn't much of a scoop. That fact that the Bills might pursue Revis doesn't really mean that much. What matters is what Revis wants to do with what is left of the back end of his career. He has another year on his contract with the Pats but the cap cost of keeping him on is so prohibitive that the Pats may have to extend the deal or release him. Revis is thought to be more interested in contending for championships for his last few seasons than he is in signing a mega-contract. If that is true, the most likely scenario is that he signs an extension with the Pats to give them some cap relief. This story says nothing of the likelihood that the Bills would actually get Revis. Apart from all the possibilities, I am reticent to commit a load of cash to a fading veteran. Besides, our defense is already top notch, it is the offense that is the problem. Why would it make any sense to go on a spending spree for a defensive player whose shelf life is sharply limited? I would much rather read that the Bills are pursuing Brian Bulaga, Orlando Franklin or Mike Iupati.

The "Lone Lockeroom Attendant" theory has come under harsh criticism from crime investigators who find several other theories to be far more likely. The lockeroom attendant in the security tape could be a just a patsy, set up to take the fall and divert attention away from more likely suspects. On the security tape, the attendant takes the balls from one location to another that is just out of view behind a counter they are calling "the formica knoll".The deflater is out of view for only 90 seconds. Tests were performed at Kramerica, Inc., a NY area testing lab, this past weekend using a random sample of lockeroom attendants and professional ball deflaters. This study showed that, on average, they each could deflate between 5 and 7 balls within 90 seconds. None were able to accomplish the near impossible task of deflating 11 of the 12 balls in only 90 seconds, suggesting the involvement of a second or even a third unknown deflater. If true, the involvement of multiple deflaters suggests some sort of conspiracy by high placed team officials to coordinate their actions. Investigators have taken statements from dozens of witnesses in the area who all reported hearing sounds they characterized as being similar to the sound of balls being vigorously sucked somewhere in the area of the formica knoll. For unknown reasons, officials have impounded the clothes Tom Brady wore to the stadium the day of the game consisting of a size 16 Chanel boucle skirt suit in watermelon pink with a matching pill box hat, stockings and white gloves.

Nothing says "honesty" better than a witness paid a fortune to testify.

We have been going with "cheap fixes" at G for too long now, time to invest some $ in the position, especially with free agents like Orlando Franklin and Mike Iupati out there.

The reason that ration was 2 to 1 is because they simply couldn't run the ball effectively as those large and non-agile lineman couldn't poke a hole through wet tissue paper. All the good things that can happen when you run the ball such as resting your defense, shortening the game, reducing turn overs, etc. only happen if you run the ball effectively. If you can't and yet insist on running all the time anyway, all you are likely to achieve is to make your punter the team MVP.

It's about time someone brought this up. Worst. Team. Mascot. Ever. And that's coming from someone who lives in a town whose most recognizable brand is a saggy orange with a happy face drawn on it, a citrus based Mr. Potato Head omage. What the hell is it even supposed to be? It looks more like a character out of "Where the Awkwardly Inappropriate Things Are" than a buffalo. Lets make a Pegula sized donation to PETA so they'll look the other way while we get a real buffalo, anesthetized for games with a mix of Flying Bison and industrial grade ambien. Everybody wins.

Obviously.